The history of psychology is written by the lives of people with whom a wide variety of theories had been elaborated and which had molded the discipline. In the midst of prominent narratives that are presented by the mainstream figures, it is equally important to highlight those who did not care about what society thought and instead were able to overcome tremendous obstacles on their path and become unforgettable legends of the field. In this study, two women forerunners in this field will be introduced, and the paper will be centered on their procedures, difficulties encountered, and their long-term impact.
Mary Whiton Calkins: Pioneering Psychologist
Mary Whiton Calkins, who had her name carved in the walls of psychology, turned out to be a rousing instance of incapacitating the limits imposed by gender biases. The story of her life begins in 1863 with systemic obstacles faced by women who sought to enter the sphere of classical learning. Due to the reason she was denied a Ph.D. from Harvard University on the basis of gender, Calkins perpetuated norms, following the lonely way of intellectual advancement. However, she was not discouraged; she kept going, finding a way to expand the field of psychology with a fighting spirit (Jhangiani & Tarry, 2022). Calkin’s indestructible spirit found its way with great accomplishments to the extent that he became an outstanding pioneer in the field. Commitment to scholarship, intellectual rigor, and dedication to this final endeavor earned Major the honorable title of the first lady President of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Obstacles Faced
Calkins faced powerful social forces that worked against her all the way through her incredible career period with the belief that fierce gender discrimination permeated the entire world of education. As a result, despite her supreme intelligence, groundbreaking research, and rigorous scholarly contributions, she was yet again treated setback after setback by the patriarchal norms of the academic society. She has tremendously struggled to overpower these reaction barriers because she was always the one not placed in the spotlight to win the good academic title and the central spaces that the most influential people occupied. The embarrassment of her being refused Ph.D. candidacy at Harvard brings to mind the endemic gender biases that once were common in the academic environment, continuing to cast a shadow over her remarkable contributions in spite of her immense success.
Influence on the Field
There was no obstacle big enough to stop her, and she made huge contributions to psychology, mainly in the field of memory research and the paired-associate method(Atherton et al., 2021). She has laid a foundation, and her contribution to the subsequent progress in cognitive psychology, as well as the revolution of our understanding of memory processing, could not be overstated. Through her rigorous experiments and innovative approach, she propelled the field and also earned her the position of a role model for women in the academic world.
Kenneth B. Clark: Champion of Racial Equality
Clark was born in 1914 and played a preeminent role in psychology as he employed his intellectual might in trying to break society’s shackles of racism. The vivid descriptions of his early life about discrimination show that he was already living in a racially separated nation at that time. Obviously, Helen did not just change Clark into a more educated person but became a trigger point for many reformers in the quest for equality and truth. His courage in exploring new grounds, as well as his sustained campaign, yielded the beginning of an idea whose influence was more than a campus-related phenomenon and was a cause of hope and inspiration to everyone. With his profound perception and iron-willed efforts, Clark paved the way for a diversified society; as a result, he has left to the chronicles of history, his name inscribed in the annals of discourses on history.
Obstacles Faced
Clark received his training in a time of racial extremism, where the coexistence of unequal cultures was the order of the day, so he was, most of the time, a guinea pig in the school as well as in his career. With a Ph.D. from Columbia, he experienced persistent signs of discrimination in academia, and he needed more choices for career growth or academic institution recognition (Jhangiani & Tarry, 2022). He had tooth to nail the financial woes, fought for financial schemes that could fund his research, and faced economic hardships that he encountered due to unequal payment and lack of access to resources. The combination of these blocks developed his voyage and raised it to an exceptional level in overcoming the targets. He did not give up. His stubbornness, unyielding advocacy, and continued defiance of societal inequities make him a role model and an icon to follow.
Influence on the Field
Clark’s legacy was his groundbreaking research on the psychological effects of segregation genetically through the “doll studies,” which confirmed the destructive influence of racial segregation on children’s self-perception and identity. This groundbreaking work achieved a milestone in the legal battle against segregation, and it was decisive in the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Furthermore, Clark’s activism for social justice and the value of psychology as a tool in the fight for racial equality went beyond the university. They established him as a beacon of racial equality. Besides that, Clark’s enduring legacy is not limited to the coaching of the next generation of researchers. They go on building upon his initial work and thus further our knowledge and improvement of equity in the field of psychology. His legacy resounds through numerous research, interventions, and policies to redress the systemic barriers and create an equitable ground for everyone regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
Conclusion
Resilience, courage, and mental strength are the qualities that enabled both Mary Whiton Calkins and Kenneth B. Clark to stand firm against the pressure of their era. The moment when they overcame the obstacles and got rid of some stereotypes, those who world made psychology an interdisciplinary science by admitting different approaches and perspectives. Supporting them in this way will help us to take their stories to heart and remain on the path of learning how to relate social justice with the area of social psychology and other fields of knowledge.
References
Atherton, O. E., Chung, J. M., Harris, K., Rohrer, J. M., Condon, D. M., Cheung, F.& Corker, K. S. (2021). Why has personality psychology played an outsized role in the credibility revolution? Personality science, 2. https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.6001
Jhangiani, R & Tarry H. (2022). 1.1 Defining Social Psychology: History and Principles. Opentextbc.ca; BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/defining-social-psychology-history-and-principles/
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